Producer: Jan Chapman
Director: Jane Campion
Writers: Anna Campion and Jane Campion
Director of Photography: Dion Beebe
Ruth: Kate Winslet
PJ Waters: Harvey Keitel
Miriam Barron: Julie Hamilton
Yvonne Barron: Sophie Lee
Aunt Puss: Kerry Walker
Carol: Pam Grier
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"Holy Smoke!" is Jane Campion's latest release and stars Kate Winslet of "Titanic" fame and Harvey Keitel of just about everything fame.
It's beautifully shot, taking the audience from the crowded streets of India, to the Australian outback in all its stark and unrelenting beauty.
Winslet as Ruth is a beautiful young woman who goes backpacking through India, and out of curiosity goes to visit a Guru. Initially skeptical and bemused, she is soon entranced and won over to the guru's cult.
Meanwhile, back in Australia, Mum and the rest of the family are so worried by her newfound spirituality, they enlist the support of cult buster, PJ Waters, played by Harvey Keitel, to break Ruth's spell. They trick Ruth into coming back to Australia, and PJ takes her to the isolation of the outback to begin her transformation.
What begins is a battle of mind and body. Jane Campion spoke at the beginning of the screening of the film, and told the audience that "Holy Smoke!" really had no great meaning, but I think she was being intentionally flippant. The ideas she investigates are those which people base their lives on - the search for meaning, spirituality, and also the seduction of beauty and knowledge.
It all sounds so serious, but Campion adds a good dose of comedy, with a terrific supporting cast including Sophie Lee and American Pam Grier of "Jackie Brown".
Kate Winslet is a very convincing Australian, beautifully appropriate for the role. Keitel's performance if good, but the character itself is hard to sympathise with, sometimes likeable, often not. Julie Hamilton as Mum is both fittingly frustrating and endearing.
"Holy Smoke!" begins very well, but drifts a little over half way and this is a problem. The story is interesting to this point, with Jane and sister Anna Campion writing the script. If it had stuck to its guns more, it would have been very good, but it is still definitely worth a look. It is distributed though Roadshow and screening soon in selected cinemas.
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